Scene from September 5 movie Credit: September 5

Media about media can come in all shapes and sizes.

There are shows like The Newsroom that present a holier-than-thou, morally righteous team of journos whose life’s work is to bring you the truth. Then there are movies like Spotlight that take viewers through a dramatic retelling of enterprise journalism, with the story itself often central to the film’s plot.

But then there’s a movie like September 5 which seeks to earnestly and accurately portray what journalism is like in a breaking news scenario.

September 5 sets out to tell the story of the ABC Sports broadcast crew at the 1972 Munich Olympics on the day when a Palestinian terrorist organization called Black September took 11 Israeli athletes and coaches hostage in the Olympic Village.

The film wastes no time getting to the point. Its tight 95-minute runtime makes for a no-frills recounting of the day’s events. But that’s not to say September 5 is light on detail. It’s actually quite the opposite.

In choosing to forego the normal fluff inserted into most feature film productions, September 5 is able to immerse the viewer in such a way that they feel like they’re in the control room with Geoff Mason (John Magaro), Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), and Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin) as they make numerous difficult, yet critical decisions amid the ongoing hostage situation.

The film rarely travels outside of ABC’s studios in Munich, instead locking in on the three main protagonists (who, by the way, are all now in the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame) while seamlessly interspersing archival footage of legendary broadcaster Jim McKay’s actual reporting on that day.

There are several main tensions in September 5 that carry through the whole movie. There’s ongoing pressure from ABC’s news division to take over from ABC Sports, even though they’re broadcasting directly outside the Olympic Village. There’s the incredibly heavy implications of what to air, what not to air, and how to present information to the viewers at home. And then there are the more wonky newsgathering elements like where to place cameras, how to transport reels of film in and out of the Village while it’s under lockdown, and even negotiating with other networks that had booked the satellite space ABC needed in order to stay on the air.

September 5 reached its climax when Geoff Mason — who was running point in the control room while reporting to Arledge and Bader — was faced with a decision: Tell Jim McKay to relay unconfirmed reports that the hostages were freed, or wait for confirmation from another source.

The scene was just one instance of many that cut right into the heart of journalistic ethics. The personal and professional desire to be first to the story versus the risk of reporting false information.

Perhaps the most impressive feat that September 5 pulled off is that the entire film is jam-packed with questions of ethics ranging from whether it’s okay to air a potential execution live on television, to if they should cease broadcasting live shots of the building entirely for fear that the terrorists were watching.

It’s a media movie for media junkies. But even those with no background or interest in media will find the film compelling.

At the heart of September 5 is a very real, very tragic day in history. And even with the film’s sometimes liberal use of TV jargon (like repeatedly referring to its satellite as “the bird”), the story is told in a way that is accessible and informative.

In an era where it’s hard for a movie to break through unless it’s some IP-driven rehash we’ve all seen a thousand times, September 5 is a refreshing change of pace. It was a perfect mix of staying true to the story and letting the tension build based on circumstances alone while abstaining from manufactured drama.

For those reasons, it’s an undeniable success that puts it directly in the pantheon of great media movies.

September 5 releases everywhere on January 17.

About Drew Lerner

Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.